College life offers students a rich array of choices when it comes to meeting new people, engaging in new opportunities and exploring new concepts and ideas. It’s what the university experience is all about—embarking on a personal quest to become critical thinkers and engaged individuals.
As your new associate vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of students, it is my honor and pleasure to welcome you to the University of Colorado Boulder, where you are entering a proud Buff community!
Like many of you, I am new to CU Boulder. I moved to Colorado this past summer from the University of California, Berkeley, where I served as the assistant dean of students for many years. I am still settling into my new life and getting to know people on campus and in the Boulder community. It’s been a gratifying, exciting and fulfilling experience. I’ve already made a lot of new friends.
While I am new to this beautiful campus, I am not new to the academic environment. As a university administrator and doctoral student, I know firsthand that a new semester can prove to be overwhelming and that is a normal feeling that many students are experiencing. I’d like to take this opportunity to share a few tips with you based on hard-won experience.
There are many resources available to help you navigate campus and the events that will enable you to meet new people. We want to make this your home away from home, and my office has plenty of resources and services to support you – please use them.
As you walk to and from classes or stop to grab a bite to eat, you might be asked to register to vote, support a social or political cause, apply for a first credit card, join a campus organization, or participate in off-campus activities. Some of these invitations will give you a chance to forge lifelong friendships or discover new interests.
As you weigh the options ahead of you, remember to take a measured and informed approach. If an invitation to join or socialize with an academic or nonacademic organization doesn’t seem to fit your needs right now, trust your instincts. There is no need to feel pressured into committing to an activity that you are unsure about or that could keep you from achieving your goals.
In the end, college really is about becoming the person you set out to be when you submitted that first application and wrote that first essay to the admissions office.
Remember that we all stand behind you — your family, friends, supporters and the entire CU Boulder community — and are pulling for your success.
Have a great, productive year, and remember to stay safe and make informed choices as you ease into college life.
Go Buffs!
Akirah Bradley, Dean of Students
